Keep Them Outside!!

One more idea--keep the parents out of the house. It'll be easier to enforce if they don't see their parents moving in and out freely. Also, the parents can help to actively enforce.

Good luck keeping them out. I've tried and never seemed to make it with them staying out or wherever they are to be. :-(

Let your kids know the rule and they will enforce it. NO TV, NO NINTENDO, etc.

Bubbles and if you have cement...chalk. =)

Lock the door, let them in escorted to use the bathroom, walk them out again. This might seem old fashioned or mean, but I wouldn't go out of my way to rent a bounce house or anything. I am sure that you have plenty of toys. Sometimes boredom is a good thing. With that many kids, they should find some way to entertain themselves. Freeze tag, reg light greenlight, hoola hoops, skipping rope, watching clouds, you get the point.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

rent a bounce house.
buy a trampoline.
stock up on water guns, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes
set up a t-ball cone , bat, and ball.
put out a soccer ball
have a pinata
teach them to play freeze tag

frisbees
jump ropes
potato sack races

Depending on how warm it will be - water balloons - if it's going to be nice, but still 'chilly' no. And then when they are done - they will most likely track it all into the house!! YIKES!! But it will also wear them out!!

if you aren't opposed - NERF guns are great things - especially if you have trees and structures that they can use as shields!!

Tic Tac Toe with little beanie/sand bags.
Hop Scotch

The kids are old enough to understand the party is to be outside only, make sure you let the adults know that as well so they can help enforce it.
Bring out the balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, squirt/nerf guns, anything you have that can be played with outside. Encourage them to play games like tag and hide and seek. I would also set up a card table with artsy stuff, like markers, paint, playdoh, etc. Oh, and how about a cookie or cupcake decorating area? That's fun AND dessert, all in one!

The rent-a-bounce house is a good idea! Also -lots of bubbles, sidewalk chalk, those stomp rockets (cheap and kids love them), balls of varying sizes and types, whiffle ball sets, squirt guns, giant cardboard boxes if you have them or can find them so they can have forts and whatnot. Are there riding toys? If not many or any, get your kids some scooters or bikes/trikes, etc. and tell the other parents to let each child bring their favorite riding toy.

Water balloons!

Squirt guns!

Sprinklers!

We have a huge crawfish party every year. The one year I didn't care if the kids played inside, my children's room were COMPLETELY DESTROYED!! Things were dumped, broken and tossed. It took two solid days to get my son's room in order. I even had to patch a hole in the wall and paint. I was really shocked. My son was very upset over it. I guess the group mentality took over, because none of our friends are destructive or disrespectful. So last year we simply closed their doors and we put a note on them that simply said, "Please enjoy the activities and weather outside. We would like to keep kid out of the rooms today." I told my son to help NICELY remind his friends they needed to play outside. Every once in a while I walked through and had to boot a kid or two out. I just told them that the rooms were closed and we weren't playing inside today. Everyone seemed to understand and no one seemed upset by the idea at all.

Make sure you have adequate seating outside for EVERYONE. Not just the adults. When the kids get a little bored or tired or whatever, they will gravitate towards a comfy spot to sit out for a bit. If they don't have a place, they will find one, and may gravitate towards an inside sofa! So be sure you have adequate seating. If that means patio furniture, folding chairs, chaise lounges, picnic blankets on the ground, whatever.... Make them inviting.

Also, when everyone (adults included) sees that you have purposely arranged for enough seating for everyone, and tables/side tables, coolers, other beverage containers, snacks, etc to all be laid out outside, they OUGHT to pick up on the idea that everyone is expected to be outside.
Another tip: The first guests to arrive need to be escorted out back immediately! If you stay inside or in the kitchen finishing up last minute things because it is only one/two guests, then the next ones will also come in and hang out inside... don't let the status quo be "inside". Take the first guests outside immediately and hang with them out there a few minutes, even if you still have some kitchen prep that is unfinished. If you have to excuse yourself (one of you at a time, not both you and husband at the same time) to finish up something, insist that they NOT help you, even if they offer. You will all end up inside if you accept that offer.

And HAVE FUN! :)

They aren't going to be able to read your mind. Send an email out tonight explaining that you'd like the children to stay outside. This will give parents the opportunity to prepare in whatever way they need to.

Lock the bedroom doors if possible.

Updated

Well, you can't keep them outside the whole time because they're going to have to come in to use the bathroom, BUT they should stay downstairs. If you have a baby gate or something, put that at the bottom of the stairs and make upstairs off limits. It should be understood by the grownups, and just make sure the parents know to let the kids know to stay downstairs. As long as there is fun stuff outside, they'll spend most of the time outside. Have fun :)

Tell the children what the party rules are and the reward for good behavior is a free meal. Cordon off the stairs and don't let anyone go up there. Set up activities in "stations" and get a couple of teenagers to help man them. Have fun!

First, I am jealous that you can do this...we here in the MW are awaiting another snow storm and I can't seem to get the chill outta my bones! LOL! OK, what I would do is take "OneAndDone's" suggestions w/ water toys...also, have balls, frisbees, jump-ropes and even PLAN some games for them. Relays are always fun...nylon tucked into their waste band w/ a potato in it, spoon w/ an egg or cotton ball, balloon between the knees.

Some other fun things I do in warm weather...picnic style meal (kids LOVE that! So set up a big blanket or something and make it a big deal to have a REAL picnic.) Also, kids love to throw popcorn at each other...not sure if that is something you CAN do, since popcorn can be a choking hazzard.

And sidewalk chalk is ALWAYS a big hit! If you have an area they can draw, let em go to town!

As far as your playground...do you have any kinds of tubing/plastic pipes that they can use on the playground to create stuff to let water/sand run down? Or bring out dress up stuff and let them make playground set a club or a castle! Should be fun...good luck!

Hi J M, This is how I always do it, First of all i invite people who will keep a handle on thir children, I have been to to many gatherings where the children are all over the place. climbing all oer peoples furniture, touching breakables people should know better than to take their kids to someone elses house. One more thing I NEVER ALLOWED COMOPANY KIDS UP IN MY KIDS ROOMS< NEVER. So with that said after an hour or two changet the activities I always have bubbles available you can ask and see if one of the people coming would be wiling to do face painting with the kids, maybe some outdoor games, if you are allowing children you have to plan for that, or just keep it adults . Hope this helps. J.

Why don't you ask your guests with kids to bring any fun toys they may have? Also our kids love to color and draw on fences at parties with sidewalk chalk so it comes off.

Get a bounce house - they are relatively cheap and kids love to bounce ... it will ensure they spend more time outside. have a BBQ, give them reasons to stay outside (i.e. food and entertainment are outside) - maybe a potato sack race? balloon toss? I often set up "art" tables with butcher paper as the table cloth so the kids can draw on the table cloth - along with other art supplies (glue, glitter, foam cutouts etc.).

Also, set clear rules at the begining so the kids know the expectations.

Good luck and try to have fun!

We had the same problem when we had the cub scout troop over. We didn't let anyone come in the front door - only around the side of the house and only in the house to use the downstairs bathroom. We also closed the door upstairs where we had our cats and put a do not enter sign on it. I also put away any toys and valuables that I didn't want anyone to touch because a couple of the kids always manage to go upstairs. We have a pool so the kids were good with that but I also have a basketball net set up, some scooters, a soccer net. The bouncy house is a great idea. Maybe get a slip and slide. And ask the parents to keep track of their kids and have them stay inside. Hope this helps!

have some sunscreen outside. as a fair skinned person, I always appreciate outside parties (that I didn't know were outside parties) having sunscreen.

and, I would tell the kids, in earshot of the parents, we are staying outside today. C'mon-every parents "gets" it.

Set up a Bocce court or croquet setup (have no idea what you call that). We do that for my son's parties. We started that when he was 4 so even little ones can play bocce. There are usually both adults and kids out there playing so someone always helps the littler ones with how it works. You can also give them a few balls, or hang a net and provide badminton rackets (harder to hurt each other with the birdie than with tennis balls).